metamere
- noun
- /ˈmɛtəˌmɪr/
- Specialized
:
metámero
- In annelids, each metamere is a distinct segment of the body that houses vital organs.
- metameres and somites
- insect metameres
Examples
-
For without such similarity in detailed construction and genetic basis, the comparison of metamere and rhombomere will come up as empty as the previous likening of metamere and somite.
Academic text (1992) -
Somites and metameres represent fundamentally different styles of segmentation; they are not comparable and not homologous (derived from a common ancestor).
Academic text (1992) -
Somites are not the same as metameres, and Geoffroy was clearly wrong in his choice of the vertebra as an archetype.
Academic text (1992) -
For without such similarity in detailed construction and genetic basis, the comparison of metamere and rhombomere will come up as empty as the previous likening of metamere and somite.
Academic text (1992) -
If we keep trying to compare somites with metameres, then homology fails and segmentation is a separate evolutionary event in the two phyla.
Academic text (1992) -
The body of the earthworm is made up of many metameres that allow for flexibility and movement.
-
Scientists study the metameres of arthropods to understand how segmentation impacts their development.
Synonyms
A body part that repeats in animals without a backbone, like a worm or centipede
A part of the body in jointed animals, like an insect
A repeated body part in some animals that later forms muscle or bone
Surface Forms
Morphology
metamere = meta + mere
Although the word contains classical elements meaning roughly 'after/beyond' and 'part/segment', this technical biological term is not transparent to an average learner.
Etymology
The word metamere comes from Greek parts meta- 'after' and -mer 'part', the same meta- you see in metamorphosis, so it literally means a 'part one after another'. That's why a metamere is one of the repeated body segments in animals like earthworms and centipedes.
